After two months of positive comparisons to 2013, August printing shipments fell by -$68 million (-1%) on a current dollar basis. On an inflation-adjusted basis, they were down -$192 million (-2.9%). For the last 12 months, shipments are down -2.8% in current dollars and -4.4% after adjusting for inflation. They are running at a rate that will probably end the year above $76 billion. Shipments for 2013 were $77.7 billion in current dollars. The chart below shows shipments since January. (click to enlarge) ptg ship jan-aug 100414 # # #